Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Top Ten Soundtracks of All Time

We love music. We love video game music. In honor of SuperPhillip Central's five year anniversary, we have been listing our top 100 games ever. To go alongside that, we've decided to do a top ten regarding our collective's favorite soundtracks of all time. From classics to modern titles, this list have got them all. Obviously music is very subjective, so you don't need to agree to our choices. That said, if you have video game soundtracks of your own that you'd like to share with us, give us a holler in the comments section below.

10) Wild ARMS (PS1)

Michiko Naruke delivers a blend of old west and orchestral sounds with her Wild ARMS soundtrack, a true classic in every sense of the word. Right when the intro cutscene plays as To the End of the Wilderness accompanies it, you know you're in for an exciting adventure. Wild ARMS: Alter Code f redid plenty of the themes from this game, but we will always prefer the original music to the remixes. These are warmer sounding and are drenched with glorious nostalgia.

Ys: The Oath in Felghana is a remake of the SNES game Ys III: Wanderers of Ys. The gameplay is severely different from the SNES game. The music is also remade, featuring some fantastic versions of old favorites. There is a lot more rock-centered focus to Ys: The Oath in Felghana, and it is very much a welcome one. The rhythm and beats that drive the songs are a great companion as you play as Adol, trying to save the world. From the tense sounds of Snare of Darkness to the epic final battle theme The Strongest Foe, Ys: The Oath in Felghana comes with a stellar soundtrack.

No worries, SPC faithful. There will be plenty of classic soundtracks on our list, too. The first of which is the original Mega Man X. There's nothing better than good ol' synth, and that is exactly what you get with Mega Man X's soundtrack. These themes will forever be a part of video game music history, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Kid Icarus: Uprising is a Nintendo 3DS exclusive that not only brought with it hilarious dialogue, fast paced flying and ground-based action, but it also contained an amazing orchestrated soundtrack. Composed by an all-star team including Yasunori Mitsuda, Motoi Sakuraba, and Yuzo Koshiro (for starters), Kid Icarus: Uprising has a wide range of musical styles, from Aurum Island's jazz to Lightning Battle's hard rock. SuperPhillip Central didn't award the soundtrack of the year award to this game last year for no reason!

Speaking of Motoi Sakuraba, if we had to choose a soundtrack of his that we would point to as his greatest, we'd point to Star Ocean: The Second Story (also available on PSP as Star Ocean: Second Evolution). The sounds of the synth the game uses fills us with warmth and the melodies heard make us wax poetic. Everything from The Venerable Forest to Pyroxene gives us such a nice feeling when we listen to it.

The best the Donkey Kong Country series has to offer in both gameplay and music is Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. David Wise brings his A-game, offering atmospheric and melodic tracks that are way ahead of their time. To this day, there are still soundtracks that don't come anywhere close to matching the charm and ambiance that David Wise's works on Donkey Kong Country 2 possess.

Originally when Super Mario Galaxy was shown, it contained a synthesized soundtrack. When the game came closer to release, it was revealed that the majority of songs would be orchestrated-- a first for the Mario series and something not usually done by Nintendo. The end result is just magical. Forgive us if we use too much emotionally-charged wording here. It's no wonder people dislike what they hear regarding the New Super Mario Bros. series' music, because Super Mario Galaxy has spoiled us so greatly. Without a doubt our favorite song from the series is Gusty Garden Galaxy. So spectacular...

If you're like us, then you're drooling at the thought of playing Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS. If you're like us also, then you absolutely love the soundtrack of Super Smash Bros. Melee, featuring many orchestral remixes of familiar Nintendo themes. Hearing the bold brass of the Legend of Zelda theme playing in Great Bay and the awesome guitar work of Mute City brings joy and happiness to our bodies and smiles to our faces.

We tried to limit this list to just ONE Final Fantasy soundtrack, but we couldn't do it in the end. Instead, we have two Final Fantasy soundtracks on our list. This one is from a spin-off series, Final Fantasy Tactics. Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata teamed up to create this sensational soundtrack that plays on the emotions of its listener. From dramatic themes like Tension 1 to poignant character themes like Ovelia's Theme, Final Fantasy Tactics' soundtrack remains as wonderful as it was back in released in 1997.

Here we go with our favorite video game soundtrack of all time-- Final Fantasy VI (or as it was known in the West for a period of time, Final Fantasy III). Final Fantasy VI contains Nobuo Uematsu's greatest work, and imagine having to work within the confines of the SNES sound chip to produce such a superior soundtrack. The music still sounds fantastic to this day, and we're still floored by tracks like the multi-tiered Dancing Mad, one of the greatest boss themes ever composed, as well as character themes like Terra and Celes. Nobuo Uematsu continues to be the most prolific composer in the video game industry-- at least that's our story (which we are sticking to!).

You have read our thoughts on our favorite soundtracks, but which ones do you deem your favorites? They need not necessarily be the best-- they just need to be ones you enjoy the most. Let us and the SPC community know in the comments section below.